Digilegal Trustees charges a fixed fee for acting as executor, confirmed once we understand the estate. Our Simple Executorship Service costs £450 to £3,000. Our Full Executorship Service costs from about £450 for a small estate to about £5,650 for a complex one.
How do professional executors usually charge?
Traditionally, professional executors charge a percentage of the estate, an hourly rate, or both. A typical firm of solicitors can charge as much as £20,000 for an estate worth £500,000. Digilegal Trustees charges a fixed fee instead.
Our two services
| Service | Who it suits | Fixed fee |
|---|---|---|
| Simple Executorship Service | Families who want to carry out most of the estate administration themselves | £450 to £3,000 |
| Full Executorship Service | More complex estates, or where beneficiaries and other executors do not want to deal with the administration | About £450 to £5,650 |
Worked examples
| Estate | Simple Executorship | Full Executorship |
|---|---|---|
| Worth a few thousand pounds, all in bank accounts, everything left to a spouse or civil partner | £450 | About £450 |
| Property, bank accounts, some shares and investments and a pension, with various gifts in the will | Towards £3,000 | About £5,650 |
We confirm the fixed fee once we have a snapshot of the estate. If we find more complexity later, we quote before doing that extra work.
What else does the estate pay?
Our fee covers our work as executor. The estate also pays third-party costs, such as valuations, and the costs of applying for probate. The probate application fee is £526 for an estate worth more than £5,000, and nothing for an estate of £5,000 or less. Extra official copies of the grant cost £2 each if you order them with the application (gov.uk).
Can a professional executor charge at all?
Yes. A will can include a charging clause that lets a professional executor be paid (Trustee Act 2000, s.28). Even without one, a trust corporation is entitled to reasonable pay for its work (s.29).
If the family would rather act without us
Your other executors and beneficiaries also have the Digilegal Trustees Promise. If they ask us to step aside, we do so with no extra fees, and we charge nothing at all if it is at the outset.
Common questions
Is the executor fee paid from the estate?
Yes. Our fixed fee is paid from the estate, not by the family personally, and there are no pre-payments when you name us in your will.
Is the fee a percentage of the estate?
No. We charge a fixed fee, agreed before we start, so it does not rise just because the estate is worth more.